Alternatives:
A) Grab books from e.g. Syngress (lots of good hacking related books.)
B) Go to securitytube and other similar sites and watch videos
C) Be a part of a community and in IRC too, read various forums, read guides and tutorials
D) Become a programmer in e.g. C, C++ and / or Python, Ruby, PHP, etc.
It's how people do it the (almost) free way, which takes time yes, but you also learn from your mistakes too when you dive into learning mode on your own
General Certification : CPT Practical Submission
